BrighT STAR SIRIUS: a toolkit to cut unnecessary blood cultures in sick kids
Official title: BrighT STAR SIRIUS: a hybrid trial evaluating the impact of a comprehensive diagnostic stewardship toolkit on blood culture overuse in critically ill children
Funded at Children's Hosp of Philadelphia · NIH-11452997 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A multi-site study is testing a toolkit to reduce unnecessary blood culture tests in critically ill children to prevent unnecessary treatments and harms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hosp of Philadelphia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,125,256 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL183352-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11452997 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 0-11 in PICUs who would be considered for blood culture testing.
✕Less likely to help
Children not in PICUs or not suspected of bloodstream infection may not benefit.
What this research studies
If this toolkit works, doctors could more often avoid needless blood cultures in PICU patients, while still catching real infections. The study will compare how well the toolkit reduces testing and how it affects antibiotic use and safety. It will involve multiple centers and a stepped-wedge rollout to measure real-world impact on care decisions and costs. Children with critical illness would be the focus, and researchers will track outcomes related to testing, treatment, and safety.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the toolkit could lower unnecessary tests, shorten antibiotic exposure, and reduce related harms for critically ill children.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work showed diagnostic stewardship can safely reduce blood culture use and antibiotic exposure in PICU patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Woods-Hill, Charlotte Z — Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
- Study coordinator: Woods-Hill, Charlotte Z
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.